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Every story published in 100 Word Fiction. Search by title, author, or a half-remembered phrase; filter by year, tag, or contributor.
Showing 18 of 19 stories · tagged fiction
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The Man Goes Walkabout Only in His Mind
John often scheduled trips, then changed his mind at the last minute. He’d spend hours looking at maps, photos of diners, old railway stations, Post Offices covered in kudzu, and haunted hotels (where he liked to stay).…
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THE CRITIC
Aiden was a rising literary critic, renowned for his fearless iconoclasm. Twain, Whitman, Kerouac, Emily Dickinson: no one was safe, the living with the dead. On the eve of the publication of his first book, Aiden…
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Conversations With Death
Every night, I roll over to face the empty side of my bed. In varying levels of distress, I call out to a friend. My busy friend always stops by for our chat. I beg. I plead. I offer. It’s when I attempt bribery Death…
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Pushing Grief Aside
It was difficult to attend her friend’s baby shower. How could she be joyous when she had just lost her own? Little Chloe was delivered prematurely. Her little lungs were not mature enough for her to survive. Tina had…
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Sam Adams Met the Girl of His Dreams Based on a True Story
Sam Adams met Maria his wife in a dream. The dream started in high school when he fell asleep in a physics class and saw the most beautiful woman in the world staring at him. He yelled out, “who are you?”…
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Ursus in Reverie
Alone, I sit silently searching for poachers. Something murmurs at the far edge of hearing. An underground spring, or perhaps a wood nymph? This rifle seems an intrusion in this magical space, but…
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The Homecoming
The symbols became clear on the stick as she sat there. Thou shalt not become pregnant this month, either, and she flung the test into the metal wastebasket with a clang. As she stepped…
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Pickled
A scuffle broke out at her feet. “Stop it!” yelled Lydia, chasing her dogs from the kitchen. Harlow, the victor, chomped loudly with a hint of gagging. “Drop it!” Harlow continued the grotesque sound as Hunter watched…
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Spinning
Spinning A mile away, the car flipped over and over, appearing as a large red thrown object, hitting, bouncing from road into the median. Instinctively, I slowed my car, foot leaving the gas pedal until I was coasting.…
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In Concert
Marie’s hands skipped across the black and white keys, spinning the staccato tones of Balakirev’s “Islamej” for a spellbound audience. Years ago, musicians had called Balakirev’s piece the “unplayable fantasy.”…
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After the Test
I put the phone down, gripped the kitchen sink, and felt my heart shatter somewhere deep inside myself along with so many expectations. I struggled to make sense of what I had heard. Words strung together…
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Life can be a drain
He really didn’t know how long they’d been living down that particular drain. But at least it was east facing; offering eight minutes of luscious sun each morning. More than once he’d spied envy in the eyes of the other…
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Long Run
Before the storm, Philip would frequently get a kick contemplating his situation: a solitary guy who enjoyed living amongst the horde. Long-distance running seemed more akin to Philip’s nature. And as close…
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The New Owners
They surveyed the landscape from above. It was prime property for development. There was only one problem. It was occupied already and the current tenants would have to be removed. Of course, there was the heavy-handed…
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On Her Terms
A yellow-eyed Calico cat guarded the parsley patch. Calico sounded like prairie skirts, gypsy breezes, flute notes drifting dunes. That cat and I had been staring at each other all summer. Mrs. Casio’s high…
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The One Who Remains
After wandering the yards of his abandoned neighborhood, 12-year-old Gavin cannot find his family and cannot escape the fireworks’ finale. “Too loud,” he cries, rocks, holds his hands to his ears as he stands alone. The…
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Controlling Mosquitoes
This morning I spoke to Ray, who runs our town, about the state-wide program to control mosquitoes—they intend to spray, and that means killing birds and bees, and very likely harming humans, too. I agreed to help draft…
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Anticipation—Age Two
When he was two, seated in the antique highchair, he might have fallen, taking a dangerous crash. But Auntie was quick to catch him. No one yet knew he could kick himself backward from the breakfast table. Earlier…